Six-Word Memoirs

You probably think I’m on the staff at Powell’s by now, but I promise I’m not! I just love their Web site, I can never read even a tiny fraction of everything they have there.

And I just ran across a fun little contest they’re having, at which I think those of us of the writerly persuasion would enjoy trying our hands. Just sum up your life in six words. That’s right, six words. No more, no less. I think most of us enjoy a literary challenge so I thought I’d share.

The concept comes from SMITH magazine, which published its first collection of six-word memoirs under the title of Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, and a second book, Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak: By Writers Famous and Obscure, which is apparently being released just in time for the holiday of love.

So now comes your chance. The third book in the series, with a planned fall release, is tentatively titled It Was Fun While It Lasted: And More Six-Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure. All you have to do is hie thee to Powell’s Web site:

Simply post a comment containing your six-word autobiography below — a general summation, not limited to love or heartbreak. (But really, is it ever about anything else? Sigh.) We’ll pick 10 finalists, to be featured on our blog, and submit them to the HarperCollins panel of judges, who will choose the soon-to-be-published author.

Deadline for submitting is 12:00 midnight (PST), April 15, 2009. Official contest rules are posted on Powells.com.

As of this writing, there are already 442 responses posted.

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Published by D. D. Syrdal

Writer of vampire stories and science fiction. First novel, "Revenants Abroad", available now at Amazon. If you like a vampire you can go out drinking with and still respect yourself in the morning, I think you'd like Andrej.
View all posts by D. D. Syrdal

I haven’t decided yet, but I’ve been mulling over a few options for a memoir in six words. I just don’t think I’m clever enough to come up with something sufficiently artistic and interesting. Even if I don’t get around to entering, it’s still fun to play around with, almost like a word puzzle.